After playing several hours of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, I can confidently say the game improves on the original in every way. After seeing this combat video for the game, I realize I've only scratched the surface of what the game has to offer.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is the sequel to CD Projekt's 2007 hit PC role-playing game The Witcher, itself based off the fantasy works of Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski. As in Sapkowski's short stories and novels, the games follow Geralt of Riva, a monster-hunting Witcher with a mysterious past.

Geralt is a grade-A badass. He's an action movie hero for the fantasy set, utilizing magic, swordsmanship, and a little alchemical know-how to battle the evils that plague the land. It's a combination that's worked well for Geralt, known far and wide as someone you probably shouldn't fuck with.

Luckily there are a few folks left that haven't gotten the message, or The Witcher 2 would just be a virtual world filled with people apologetically getting out of your way.

The gist of the plot is this: There are some folks assassinating kings. Geralt has to stop them. There's a bit more to it than that, of course. Geralt is missing a chunk of his memory that could potentially resurface as the game progresses, and there are doubtlessly more women to sleep with (there's a sex scene within the first ten minutes of the game).

But when you get right down to it, the excellent voice acting, witty writing, and all of the bells and whistles packed into CD Projekt's custom-built game engine are simply filler, things to admire when you aren't busy diving headfirst into the game's deep, satisfying combat system.

The Witcher was one of the best PC role-playing games of all time. The Witcher 2 might wind up being one of the best PC games of all time. Find out on May 17.